The Labor enquirer., 1887-04-23
The Horrible Fate 10 Which
Capitalism Condemns Our
Daughters.
FORCED TO PROSTITUTION.
III Your Wages Are Too Low Make
Up the Rest On the
Streets"

The report Of the Illinois board Of labor
statistics, which will soon be ready for
distribution, states that the system of ex-
acting fines for delinquencies Is practic-
ally In vogue in all the large retail houses
10 Chicago, and that In some instances II is
made so severe and oppressive to deprive
employees Of the means Of paying board
bills. The commissioners say that the
rapid progress which this system is making
IN Illinois Is an occasion for deep concern.
The hning system was ostensibly intro
duced to check absenteeism, but in every
ease il has only exaggerated and increased
the evil. II Is really done to reduce wages
by petty theft.
The first case investigated deserving
mention is mn establishment doing gen.
eral merchandise business, employing 300
clerks. Two are adult males, 515 adult fe-
nales, sixty nine boys under 10 years of
age aud eighty-fvc girls under 10 years Of
age. Cash girls mostly under IA years
Of age, state that they get but 81 per
week, are fined for every mistake, for
laughing, talking, or for not "hying
around fast enough to suit the floor
walker" Fines ON cash girls range from
Z TO 20 cents. Saleswomen are fiued for
various offcnses. One lady had laughed
aud was hnod 25 cents. She said the
amount of fines depended principally
upohrhr iloor-walkers, Of which there are
about sixty. II is stated that floor walkers
are expected to fine e1.r r-oyes at least the
amount OF their salaries per week. One
man told tho commissioners he had been
discharged from mercantile house as
iloor-walkcr for not hning enough.
One young lady made out the following
statements for the bureau: "The way in
which tho employees are fined In some Of
our large stores has become outrageous.
I will give you few facts that have come
under my observation during the time /
have been in this store. One young lady
has worked Just two months, during which
time -ho has been fined % cents, having
been incI from 10 TO % each time for
errors in salesbooks; another girl who was
receiving but 81 per week and paying ~
for board aud 80 cents week for car fare,
was fined 81 for an error in her salesbook;
another girl was fined 20 cents for acci-
dentally squeaking the door of a show
ease; another was fined 20 cents for eating
Il piece Of Ice during very warm day in
midsummer; another was fined 20 cents
for humming while cleaning stock; an
other so cents for breaking n glass in n
picture frame which sells for 30 cents"
So far ~ factories are concerned it.was
revealed in this investigation that only fe-
males are fined. Men will not stand 1t.
The timing system was found to be univer-
sal among the hotels and restaurants of
Chicago, and the investigation disclosed
no fact that tho fines for breakage ranged
from two To four times the value of the
article broken.
lhs distressing state OF things was
found to exist In the cloak factories: One
,,...,,. f..to.a. ,niJ tho rntu,nt .tnnars hs
had persistontly refused to employ girls
that came from rival factory, not only
htc1usc OF inferior workmanship, but be-
causo OF their moral character. He looked
upon that house as hell through which
are run young girls to prepare them for
street walkers One witness Ia capitalist
nnd manufacturer) stated that he heard
the proprietor OF the factory marked HI
.,y that II the girls in his factory did not
earn enough in the shop to pay their
hoai i they "migh, make the rest up at
night ON the streets"
There had been an effort made to get
lhc facts published about this house. Both
tho Tines and Tribune OF Chicago heard
lhc evidcnc, admitted Its truth but de-
cIiucd to publish tho name OF the criminal
bus., first because that would be "Social-
i.m' aud next perhaps, because they were
well liked" for not doing II.